


A Moment Amongst Stars

by borrowedphrases



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Mid-Canon, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 18:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7944349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/borrowedphrases/pseuds/borrowedphrases
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shiro and Keith visit Allura after the loss of her father and offer her comfort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Moment Amongst Stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CurryJolokia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CurryJolokia/gifts).



> For my fiancee, with a nod toward my husband (her fiance).

"What if she doesn't want to see us right now?" Keith asks in a half-whisper as they near the door to Allura's room, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. At Shiro's request, he had left his dagger back in his room, and he felt a little naked without it at his back, even just walking around the castle.

"Then we won't push her," Shiro tugs the sleeve of his sweatshirt down a bit further over his wrist, like he's trying to hide as much of his prosthetic arm as possible. "If she doesn't want company, we'll go. If she doesn't mind us being there, then we'll stay. But it's better for us to offer than to just leave her to isolate herself."

"I guess so." Keith still wasn't so sure they should intrude. If she wanted company, wouldn't she have been at dinner? Keith knew all about solitude, and the difference between self-isolation, and unwanted loneliness.

Shiro turns to him just as they reach Allura's bedroom, reaching to clasp Keith's shoulder. "Sometimes even the strongest champion needs comfort."

Keith swallows hard as he meets Shiro's gaze, and he reaches down to gather Shiro's right hand into his own, running his thumb along the backs of Shiro's knuckles. Shiro gives Keith's hand a squeeze in return, a wordless moment of understanding passing between them.

Shiro lets go of Keith's hand a moment later, clearing his throat and for a tick looking just as nervous as Keith feels. He shakes it off quickly enough, and lifts his flesh and blood hand to knock gently against Allura's door.

Keith holds his breath, straining to hear if there's any response from within. Allura could be sleeping, after all, or maybe she wasn't even in her room. Maybe she was somewhere else in the castle. Shiro leans in closer to the door, ear turned toward it.

Just when Keith is about to suggest they leave, a soft voice calls from within, sounding strained and tired, but not angry.

"Yes? Who is it?"

Shiro clears his throat again, raising his voice a little and speaking clearly. "It's me and Keith. May we come in?"

Another agonizingly long span of silence that has Keith shuffling his feet and playing some more with the hem of his shirt.

"You may enter."

The room beyond is dimly lit in a soft blue light, like that of the Balmera crystals, but a little bit softer, and a slightly deeper blue, like when you dim your lights and what was once sharp white turns into something more muted gold. It's a large room, sparsely decorated, but not cold feeling. The central feature of the room is a wide bed, with some kind of sheer fabric hanging in drapes on either side of it, like a... canopy? Keith's not sure if that's the right word, he's not even sure what a canopy _is_ , to be completely honest. Besides the bed there's a little vanity type desk off to one side, with a large mirror above it; the mice that bonded with Allura asleep in an open jewelry box on its surface.

Allura lifts herself forward off her pillows, propping herself up on one arm. Her hair is loose, hanging long, and a little bit sleep-messed, over her shoulders and down her back. The markings near her eyes seem to glow with the lighting in the room. She's dressed in what Keith assumes are her sleeping clothes, loose and flowing and simple.

They've been close with her before, sharing affection here and there. Not quite to the extent that he and Shiro do, not yet, but glancing touches to the hand, a private smile across the dinner table, a soft kiss to his cheek when no one else but Shiro is watching. But he's never been in her room before, never crossed this level of privacy with her.

Shiro, hovering at his side, seems less tense, less phased, like this isn't as new for him. It might not be, but Shiro is also better at appearing at ease when confronted with a new situation.

"We thought you could use some company." Shiro says gently as he begins to cautiously cross the room, his posture relaxed, his movements leaving her open to refuse him, to still send them both away. Keith can't seem to make his legs work to follow just yet, his fingers still toying with the hem of his shirt. 

Allura looks at Shiro, nodding once, then turns her glance on Keith. When he meets her gaze, he sees that her eyes are slightly red, and there's a slight puffiness beneath them, and around her nose.

She's been crying. She's been mourning. Keith remembers a face like that looking back at him from the mirror after the loss of the Kerberos mission. After he lost Shiro. Allura just lost all that was left of her father, been reminded once against about the loss of her entire culture. Keith imagines that's a similar weight to what he felt when he lost Shiro, when he lost his own entire world.

"I don't-" Allura looks back at Shiro, but she doesn't shake her head or gesture for him to stop coming near. Not when he reaches the bed, not when he settles down on the edge of it, and not when he reaches out his left hand to cover one of hers in a soft grip. Allura's bottom lip trembles slightly, and there's a fresh shimmer in her eyes. "I don't know what to do."

Shiro scoots closer to her on the bed, kicking his shoes off just before he lifts his feet up with him, curling one leg beneath himself. He keeps her hand in his, and moves to glide the fingers of his opposite hand lightly though her hair. "I can't imagine the pain you're feeling right now, can't imagine losing someone so important to you."

"I can." Keith blurts out suddenly, probably a great deal louder than is strictly necessary. Both Shiro and Allura look over at him, and Keith feels his cheeks go hot, looking away, feeling deeply embarrassed. "I know what it's like to lose someone that important to you. I know what it's like to lose your whole world."

"Keith..." Shiro starts, voice pained, and Keith _hates _the guilt he hears in Shiro's voice.__

__"I just-" Keith cuts him off, crossing his arms over his chest. "I just get it. Not _exactly_ , but I know how empty it feels, how the pain never seems to want to go away, maybe it gets duller, and maybe it will for you too, but, especially right at first, it just hurts. So. Bad."_ _

__There's a galaxy of silence between them, and Keith can't bring himself to look back at them. He's seriously considering this a mistake, maybe he should have just let Shiro come here on his own, he seems to be faring slightly better. Offering her comfort, not making the room feel tense, not blurting out sharp statements and then having to practically double over backwards to try and explain himself._ _

__"Keith."_ _

__It's Allura that speaks up, her voice gentle, actually gentle enough to make him look up at her again, despite the embarrassment on his face._ _

__"Please," Allura scoots a little closer to Shiro, who carefully slides an arm around her, and then pats her hand against the open spot on her opposite side. "Come sit with us."_ _

__Keith swallows hard, cheeks and ears burning, but he uncrosses his arms, and makes his way, shuntedly, across the room. He settles down on the very edge of her bed, looking at the wall._ _

__It's Shiro's hand that reaches for him first, warm metal fingers covering his own. When he glances down he sees Allura's elegant fingers on top of Shiro's, the tips of her fingers curling to touch Keith's thumb. The knot of embarrassment in Keith's chest slowly starts to unwind, and he turns his hand around beneath Shiro's, trying to grip both their hands at once._ _

__"I'm bad at this." he confesses softly, slumping forward a bit._ _

__"You're not." Shiro reassures him, and when Keith looks up, he finds Allura smiling softly at him too, despite the pain he still sees shimmering in her eyes._ _

__"Sorry." He mumbles, realizing he's made the focus turn toward him when that's not why they came here at all. He leans down to get his boots off, then shimmies around on the bed, shifts closer to Allura's side. His arm comes up once, twice, three times, before he finally slips it around her, his low around her waist, Shiro's above his, closer to her shoulder blades. Keith scoots closer to her, until his hip bumps against hers._ _

__Shiro reaches up and hits a button on her headboard. The canopy drapes fall from their hooks, and slide to close the bed off from the rest of the room. Within their boundary there are almost no glowing crystal lights, but the light from outside filters in through them, little pinpoints scattered across them and the bed._ _

__Shiro leans down, breathing softly, and brings his forehead in to rest it lightly against Allura's. She makes a soft, pained sound, closing her eyes tight against the tears shining in them. Keith doesn't know what to do, but he knows what Shiro has done for him before, and so he reaches up with his free hand and brushes his thumb gently over her cheeks, beneath each of her eyes, trying to wipe her tears away. Shiro, on the other side, takes one of her hands, and brings it up to his lips, first kissing each of her knuckles, then turning it over to kiss her palm._ _

__Allura lets out a sound that's halfway between a laugh and a sob, shaking slightly in their arms. She opens her mouth like she's trying to say something, but no sound comes out. Instead she lifts her head up, shifts, and tugs at the blankets that are still over her lap, but under both Shiro and Keith._ _

__Keith blinks at her, then looks to Shiro for guidance, unsure of what she wants. She's hard enough to figure out sometimes when she's speaking; she's almost impossible to understand when she's non-verbal._ _

__Shiro gives him a gentle smile, then moves about on the bed, lifting himself up and then pulling the covers down a bit so he can slip beneath them next to Allura. Finally understanding, Keith gives a little nod, then moves as un-awkwardly as he can manage to do the same on Allura's other side._ _

__It takes a bit of adjusting to get them all comfortable, but eventually they find a configuration where no one's elbows are jabbing into sides, and arms won't be falling completely asleep and going all pins and needles. Shiro is lying mostly on his back, slightly turned toward Allura, thanks to the curved sides of her bed. Allura is on her side facing Shiro, her cheek resting against his chest, and Shiro's arm is slipped beneath her hair, reaching to cup the side of Keith's head. Keith, for his part, manages to swallow his uncertainty, and actually snuggles in against her back, one arm tucked neatly beneath him, the other draped across her waist. At first his palm rests over Shiro's abdomen, then, after a moment's thought, he slides in inward, fully wrapping his arm around Allura, so he can rest his palm against her stomach._ _

___She smells nice._ Keith thinks to himself, his nose resting over the top of her hair. He's not thinking about how her hair is lightly tickling at his chin, or how the arm beneath him will probably eventually start to go just a little tingly. He's thinking about how her soft hair smells lightly like flowers, how her pillows have a faint spiced scent, like mulled cider, but not quite. There's an alien quality to both aromas, new and unfamiliar, but not unpleasantly so._ _

__Shiro's hand, the one that's not cradling Keith's head, rests over her hip, his metallic thumb rubbing slow circles. Keith knows that touch personally, and he hopes it feels as soothing for her as it does for him. She's trembling ever so softly in their arms, her eyes closed tight, but Keith can see tear stains over Shiro's sweatshirt._ _

__"It never goes away." Keith whispers softly against the back of her head. He swallows hard as he lifts his hand just long enough to brush her hair a bit more toward the bed, exposing the back of her neck. Leaning forward, he presses his lips to her warm skin just behind her ear, keeping them there. "But it does get easier with time."_ _

__Keith can feel the bed tremble as Shiro lets out a shaky breath, his thumb no longer rubbing at her hip. Now he's gripping at it, not hard, but firm, steadying. Keith reaches down and covers Shiro's hand with his palm, giving a squeeze. A moment later Shiro moves both their hands to cup Allura's cheek and tilt her head up as he leans down and kisses her softly. Allura stills against Keith's chest, her trembles slowing, and then stopping, as Shiro gradually deepens the kiss._ _

__Keith is sharply away of how flush he's pressed against her back, each inhale of breath she takes pressing against his chest, and his hips are… well. He's pretty sure what he's doing with her right now is considered 'spooning'? He's heard Lance talk about it… at length. He's been this close to Shiro before, but never with anyone else. Never with a woman. Never with Allura._ _

__Shiro kisses her deeply for a few slow moments, then pulls back with a little sigh, pressing a lingering kiss to each of her cheeks, just under her markings. He brushes his nose against hers, and smiles as he meet her eyes, then looks over her, gazing expectantly at Keith._ _

__Allura turns her head, looking at him almost… shyly? And Keith feels his cheeks go hot again. He's not going to back down though, not with her pressed warm against him, not with the way she's looking at him expectantly (and her eyes are still shining with tears, still red, still puffy). He touches her cheek with trembling fingers, and brings their lips together._ _

__Hers are still wet from Shiro's kiss, and it helps Keith gain some level of confidence. He brushes his fingers along her cheek and kisses her slowly, careful not to press too hard, to pinch her lips with his teeth, to hold it for too long and not let her breathe._ _

__Allura lets out a little puff of a sigh against his mouth after the kiss breaks, and Keith feels his lips stretch into a smile, wide and genuine, though he hopes she doesn't think he's minimizing the pain she's feeling. He's just happy to be near her, to have her nestled in between him and Shiro._ _

__"You need rest." Shiro says close to her ear, nosing at her temple. Keith mirrors the nuzzle on the other side, and Allura, despite all her sorrow, despite the tears still wavering in her eyes, laughs softly._ _

__"You're both ridiculous."_ _

__They settle in like that, their breaths gradually evening out. Allura is the first to fall asleep, her breaths gradually falling into a gentle rhythm of soft snores. Shiro meets Keith's eyes over her head, biting his lip and smiling wide, like he's trying to hold back fond laughter. Keith returns the smile, reaching to thread his fingers with Shiro's prosthetic ones, resting their hands over Allura's hip._ _

__The shimmering lights from the sheer fabric of Allura's canopy cast little stars over them in the dim light. Once Shiro has closed his eyes, his breathing evened out, Keith finally lets his own fall shut, finally allows his shoulders to fully relax, and lets Allura's floral scented hair lull him to sleep._ _

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](http://borrowedphrases.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/borrowedphrases)


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